


Birthday+Wish // 誕生日＋ノゾミ

by akicakes



Category: Love Live! School Idol Project
Genre: After the anime, Birthday, Birthday Fluff, F/F, Friendship, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-09
Updated: 2016-06-09
Packaged: 2018-07-14 01:26:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7146509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/akicakes/pseuds/akicakes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nozomi prepares for another 9th June.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Birthday+Wish // 誕生日＋ノゾミ

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this for the Love Live Wiki's Nozomi birthday giveaway contest. This is why it's under 1000 words long. I didn't think I'd actually be able to write something so short! I'm normally very long-winded. Since I haven't written prose in ages, and this is actually the first work I've ever written that could qualify as fan fiction, I didn't expect to win. I just wanted to express my love and gratitude for Nozomi somehow. Well... somehow, I won third place! I'm so honoured ;w; Maybe I should write fics more often...
> 
> It was really fun to look at a map of their neighbourhood and think about what they would do on their special day, imagining all the scenarios that happen between what I've written. Do you recognize the location from the anime?

Nozomi’s phone buzzed on her desk, on the edge of her consciousness. She opened just one eye (halfway) and peered out from under the duvet. A sunbeam filtered into the little room through a space in the curtains, dust motes sparkling and floating lazily in the light. Nozomi sniffed and closed her eye.

_bzzt bzzt_

Nozomi pulled back the blanket and slowly swung her feet over the mattress and heavily onto the floor. Sat up, sighed deeply, shuffled over to her patiently blinking phone. Two new messages. From Elicchi! She opened them excitedly.

> _Happy birthday, Nozomi ♥_

> _I’m coming over in an hour ♪ Be ready!_

Nozomi clutched the phone to her chest, smiling warmly. _That’s right. I’m 18 today. I’m glad I can spend today with Elicchi..._

She hummed a tune to herself as she set about brushing her hair. An important tune she used to sing with eight important people.

\--

Nozomi carried a tray of tea from the kitchen counter to the table where Eli sat, slowly chewing a mouthful of croissant and awkwardly tapping out a message with one thumb on her phone. She quickly set it aside when Nozomi approached, licking the pastry crumbs off her other hand.

“Thanks, Nozomi. I feel like I should be the one serving you today.”

“Elicchi, don’t be silly,” Nozomi laughed. “You brought me croissants, and we both know I make better tea.”

“True.” Eli stood to pour the tea from the pot into their mugs: light blue-rimmed china for her, soft violets for Nozomi. “So...” Eli began as she sat back down, looking ponderously across the table at her friend.

Nozomi cocked her head to the side. “Hm?”

“Do...” Eli attempted. “Ah.” She took a sip of her tea. Black tea. Blueberry? Something tart, but also sweet. “Hm.”

“You’re going to have to speak up, Elicchi,” Nozomi prompted.

Eli blushed. “You don’t have birthday plans today already, do you? I wasn’t sure if your parents...” She trailed off.

“Just me.”

Eli stared into her tea. “I’m sorry.”

“Elicchi.” Nozomi reached across the table to squeeze Eli’s hand. “Don’t be! I have all the family I need right here.”

Relieved, Eli picked up her phone again. “So, what you’re saying is... you’re free?”

Nozomi inclined her head quizzically to the side once more. She’d seen that expression in Eli’s eyes not long ago, sitting in that very same chair.

\--

“Where are we going?”

They seemed to be walking north. It was a warm day. Big, white clouds hung lazily in the sky.

Eli clasped Nozomi’s hand more tightly. “If I told you, it wouldn’t be a birthday surprise.”

Nozomi pouted. “No fair. I’m not used to birthday surprises.”

“Well, no time like the present to start getting accustomed!”

Nozomi let out a sigh and shook her head. “It can’t be helped, I suppose,” she shrugged in mock defeat. “I’ll just have to let Elicchi spoil me.”

\--

There were giant swans on the lake at the edge of the park. Some of them were pink. All of them contained humans, paddling them around.

“It’s been a while,” Nozomi mused when it became apparent this is where they were stopping. “The last time I was here was with all nine of us.” Nozomi smiled softly, nostalgia creeping into the corners of her eyes.

Eli prodded her phone screen with her right hand, her left still entwined in Nozomi’s fingers. “Come on,” she said, looking up. She gently pulled Nozomi out of her memories and along the lakeside path. The park was busy. Nozomi gazed around at the people picnicking, strolling, jogging. There were so many people, she thought, enjoying their lives like it was just another day, like it wasn’t her birthday. It was just another peaceful 9th of June.

\--

Was that... singing?

_... to you! Happy birthday, dear Noooo-zoooo-miiiiiii..._

Nozomi snapped back to attention, turning toward the voices, dropping Eli’s hand in surprise. They were all there, sat on a huge patchwork quilt, beaming up at her, singing her name. She stared in shock. For once, Nozomi didn’t turn away or deflect with a joke as her heart caught in her throat and tears welled up in her eyes and down her cheeks. “Everyone...” she murmured in disbelief. Eli put a hand on her back. “Happy birthday to the mother of μ’s... and our precious friend!”

Nozomi beamed. Wiping her eyes and giggling, she ran towards them, falling onto the blanket and into their arms.

\--

“Honoka!” Umi scolded, whacking her friend’s hand. The sliver of meat fell out of Honoka’s chopsticks and back onto the grill. “Don’t be greedy! You’ve already had three plates. This yakiniku is special for Nozomi’s birthday.”

Nozomi chuckled as Honoka apologized sheepishly. She picked the fallen meat up and held it out to her younger friend.

\--

Maki held up her phone, leaning back to get the recent graduates in the fame. “Ready? Three, two, one-- ” _snap!_

“How does it look?” demanded Nico, breaking her pose and crawling to Maki.

“Great,” stated Maki. The photo mostly showed the inside of Kotori’s nostrils.

\--

The sun hung lazily near the horizon. Hanayo quietly pulled a white cardboard box out of her bag. Rin’s eyes lit up and she dove to reveal the box’s contents.

“W-we all got together and made this for you,” Hanayo said. “I hope it tastes okay.”

Rin excitedly lit eighteen candles on the most beautiful cake Nozomi had ever seen.

\--

“What did you wish for?” Eli asked after the candles had been blown out and the cake portioned onto paper plates.

Nozomi gratefully put a fondant heart from her plate into her mouth and let it dissolve, watching the girls chatter excitedly together, savouring the sweetness. The sun began to set on her birthday as she sat surrounded by her family. “It already came true.”


End file.
